Backlight not working?

My son has an IBM Thinkpad 2647. The machine itself seems to work fine, but the screen is black. He's taken a flashlight and held it to the side of the screen and he can see what's there so we think it's the backlight. Is there an easy, relatively inexpensive fix?

No easy fix i'm afriad, the backlight needs replacing...there are plenty of guides on the internet that show you how to do it, but its a sensitive job as you run the risk of damaging the LCD screen itself, the backlights are available on eBay.

My advice is to way up the cost first of a replacement laptop, or a replacement LCD screen with the backlight fitted, or if you feel confident enough about replacing the backlight yourself then just by the backlight and track down the guide for the disassembly.

1 Suggested Answer

Hi,
A 6ya expert can help you resolve that issue over the phone in a minute or two.
Best thing about this new service is that you are never placed on hold and get to talk to real repairmen in the US.
The service is completely free and covers almost anything you can think of (from cars to computers, handyman, and even drones).click here to download the app (for users in the US for now) and get all the help you need. Good luck!

Tell us some more! Your answer needs to include more details to help people.You can't post answers that contain an email address.Please enter a valid email address.The email address entered is already associated to an account.Login to postPlease use English characters only.

You could have a defective screen - a defective inverter or a CCFL lamp.To determine if you have a LCD screen or video card problem, read this and follow the instructions.

Defective CCFL backlight, it may have the following symptom:

Screen flashs on red/pink and off.

Picture stays on in red and slowly be come normal.

Picture flickering with dim display or appear black.

Picture flickering on and off.

All these symptoms indicate that the LCD backlight lamp (CCFL Lamp) has reached the end of the life and all you need to do is replacing the CCFL lamp

Connect an external monitor to your laptop and power it up, if you see the normal Windows images then the video card and laptop is OK and the problem is definitely the backlight.

Dim image and/or dark display on the laptop's LCD screen indicates a faulty LCD backlight and it could be the inverter that supplies high voltage to the CCFL lamp or it is the CCLF lamp is nearly burnt out or burnt out, most likely this is the case.The inverter can be replaced easily but the CCLF lamp is more time consuming and requires soldering skills.Check out www.lcdparts.net for parts, repair service and DIY info.

The backlight is the light bult that illuminates the screen. Before it finally goes out completely it will turn your screen a pink color on startup (and then usually become brighter and the pink fades). It is also possible that the backlight, also called a Cold Cathode Flourescent Light, CCFL, died an immediate death. But usually they take a while and signal with the "PINKNESS" first. If you found that your computer is working just fine connected to an external monitor (and you moved the base of your laptop around while connected to the monitor to be sure and left the computer on for a long time) then you have verified that the screen is the problem. It is usually two things: (1) the inverter, a circuit board that increases the voltage to supply the LCD which eats around 700 volts (yeah baby); or (2) the backlight itself. The first problem is a relatively easy and inexpensive fix. You can find how to replace an inverter by downloading the Hardware Maintenance Manual for the T40, T41, etc., from IBM/Lenovo's site. Replacing the backlight itself, a bulb that is like a strand of speghetti and even more delicate, is a tougher job. I would suggest purchasing a replacement screen in that event rather than replacing the backlight yourself. (The HMM probably does not show you how to replace the backlight/CCFL as it is a potentially dangerous job.) That suggestion assumes you can find a cost-effective replacement screen and do not mind opening the TP and putting the new screen in. At least look at the HMM to see what is involved. Good luck.

When you say ?it turns on fine? I?m assuming that the power and hard drive LEDs turn on. If that is the case it could be your LCD backlight giving you problems. With the computer on and the monitor power LED green shine a flashlight in the lower left hand corner of your screen. Look for the ?Start? button, if your backlight is not working you?ll see a faint ?start? button if you look closely. This is usually an economically repairable problem but not for the typical home user. Let us know if you have any other questions and please don?t forget to rate this posting.